Got a whole forest of cottonwood around the lakes here......good to know!!!!I have vol 5 of "Fox Fire" edited by: Eliot Wigginton and his Students. published 1979. Makes interesting reading on gun making and powder making. page 246-248. Don't use hardwood for charcoal as has to much ash. Chinaberry, willow, cottonwood, soft pine with no knots, or redwood and Western cedar make the best grade charcoal.
Trail boss is definitely classified as smokeless, one of my fav in 45 colt. I wouldn't think about loading it in a front stuffer, it is actually faster than unique just bulkier to better fill cases. Though I doubt a cap would set it off, maybe a 209 inline, but either way a kaboom waiting to happen. Maybe someone with a savage ML10 can safely try a few grainsI thought Trailboss was a BP substitute but I’ve only used it in 44-40. I don’t know if it is a muzzle loader powder.
Are there benefits to using black powder? I only have one black powder gun. A pietta “Remington model 1858 army” and have only ever shot it with pyrodex. I have shot maybe 30 rounds through it in 6 or 7 years because the mess is kind of a pain to clean up and have to worry about it rusting. Seeing as pyrodex is apparently corrosive as well, what exactly is the point of using it? Is it just less corrosive than real BP?
I meant benefits over using something like pyrodex. The imitation black powder. Not black vs smokeless. I know smokeless will grenade bp guns and will shorten the lifespan of older guns with poorer metal quality.There are a lot of historical cartridge guns that while risky at best with smokeless are fine with black. I shoot a number of old Colts, S&W, Merwin and other original guns with black and they do fine. Guns like this Merwin 7 shot 32 take BP and soft lead bullets, they perform just as well as the did back in the 1880s when they were new. To clean I just remove the pearl grips and then wash with hot water and simple green. Finish after dry with Ballistol. View attachment 200582
I meant benefits over using something like pyrodex. The imitation black powder. Not black vs smokeless. I know smokeless will grenade bp guns and will shorten the lifespan of older guns with poorer metal quality.